Human Race

Reigned

Queen Elizabeth II of England became her nation’s longest-reigning monarch on Sept. 9, surpassing her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. The 89-year-old queen came to the throne at age 25 in 1952, 63 years and seven months ago. Unveiling a rail line at a Scottish station, she thanked her subjects “for your touching messages of great kindness.”

Studied

A year-long Marine Corps training study found that all-male combat units were faster and more accurate than mixed units. The Pentagon lifted the ban prohibiting women from combat in January 2013, with Defense Secretary Ash Carter tasking all branches to provide quantitative evidence if they objected. In addition to quantifying physical differences, the study found male teams evacuated casualties faster and that women were twice as likely to be injured. The Marines have through December to object officially to the Pentagon and request a waiver.

Died

John Gibson, a pastor and professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, committed suicide Aug. 24. Gibson, 56, was a user of adulterous dating website Ashley Madison, whose data hackers had recently publicized. His wife, Christi, said in September that he had struggled with depression and sex addiction before in their 30-year marriage. But he couldn’t take the shame of the Ashley Madison disclosure, she told The Washington Post, adding she wished he’d given her the chance to forgive him. The teacher and hobby mechanic also left two grown children.

Denied

U.S. District Judge Robert Doumar on Sept. 4 denied a Virginia transgender student’s request to use boys’ restrooms at her high school. Female Caitlyn Grimm legally changed her name to Gavin last year, using boys’ restrooms at Gloucester High School. When parents complained, the Gloucester County School Board changed policy in December to require Grimm to use staff restrooms. The ACLU sued the school board in June with President Obama’s support, and the group plans to appeal. The ruling came days after 150 students at a Missouri school staged a walkout over a school’s granting a boy’s wish to use the girls’ locker room.

Exonerated

The Navy exonerated chaplain Wesley Modder on Sept. 3, denying his commanding officer’s February request to dismiss him because of beliefs he expressed in private counseling sessions. The Navy’s Personnel Command rejected arguments that stating Christian beliefs on sexuality amounted to negligence and disregard of duty, granting Modder his religious accommodation request. The decorated 20-year military veteran served honorably as a Marine before becoming a chaplain, and he has served as a chaplain for Navy SEALs. A “relieved” Modder said, “I am called by my faith to express love for all … and I will continue to follow my faith in all things.”

Died

Brad Anderson, the creator of mischievous cartoon Great Dane “Marmaduke,” died Aug. 30. He was 91. The World War II veteran brought the massive dog to life in 1954, and the cartoon at its peak reached 600 newspapers in 20 countries. Anderson’s own Great Dane, Marmaladee, reportedly liked to engulf his hand with her mouth when he tried to draw. Anderson’s son Paul assisted in drawing “Marmaduke” in recent years, but syndicator Universal Uclick has not addressed the future of the cartoon.

Died

Ben Kuroki, the only Japanese-American to fly missions over Japan in World War II, died Sept. 1. He was 98. Raised on a Nebraska farm by his immigrant parents, he became vice president of his senior class in high school. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he and his brother drove 150 miles to find a recruiter willing to take them. Even as Japanese-Americans from the West Coast lived in internment camps, Kuroki’s record and persistence earned him a way onto a bomber crew, flying 58 missions on three continents during the war. His awards included the Distinguished Flying Cross and, in 2005, the Distinguished Service Medal. After the war, he became a journalist and editor in Nebraska and California.

Died

Dennis Greene, a founding member of the retro rock/doo-wop group Sha Na Na, died Sept. 5. He was 66. The group won notoriety at Woodstock in 1969, with Greene regularly singing lead in albums and in the 1978 movie Grease. Greene left the group after 15 years to study law at Harvard and Yale. He later became vice president of Columbia Pictures and a law professor.

Died

Andrew Kohut, pollster and founding director of Pew Research Center, died Sept. 8 at age 73. He was one of the most sought-after interpreters of public opinion data for 30 years, leading Pew from 2004 until his retirement in 2013. He crafted questionnaires on topics as diverse as sex, politics, and religion, founding Princeton Survey Research Associates and leading the Gallup Organization for 12 years. He also authored four books.

By the numbers

$10 million | The amount of money Saudi banker and alleged Osama bin Laden financier Saleh Abdullah Kamel donated to Yale University to create an Islamic Law Center.

21 | The percentage point drop in support for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton among Democratic voters between July and September, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released Sept. 14. Clinton went from 63 percent support to 42.